Hario Ceramic Coffee Mill-Original, Black

UPDATE 1/4/17: After two years of so, this grinder is still holding up like a champ! I’m actually using it a lot more because I’m using this to grind my cold brew. Because cold brews use more coffee beans, this grinder is getting more exercise every week!

Why spend over $200-$300 on a burr grinder to grind coffee for yourself when you can get nearly the same results with this $33 Hario manual coffee grinder? Personally, I don’t really know but if you had the money, I guess you really wouldn’t care in the first place. If you are looking for one of the cheapest yet best way to grind your coffee beans each morning, look no further than the Hario MSS-1B Mini Mill. The results you’d get with this manual grinder can rival that of machines that costs double to triple the amount of this utility and in some cases, I am willing to bet those machines will lose in a grind off competition (results of grind, not speed).

Pros:

– This is perfect for those one to two cuppers like myself. I actually wanted to get a cheap electronic grinder and there are even some that are cheaper than this manual grinder! However, I think it was ridiculous to get one just for myself since no one else needs it.

– A burr grinder like this beats a blade grinder. From my knowledge, a blade grinder simply just “chops/hacks” up your coffee beans into tiny pieces. The results you’d get by using this method might not be consistent every time. A burr grinder on the other hand does not simply chop but actually “crushes” your beans. You’d get a much more consistent result. Also, because this manual grinder is powered by your hands and not an electric motor, there is less heat generated when you crush the beans. The hotter it gets when you crush/chop the beans actually decreases the quality of your cup of coffee.

– This grinder is not hard at all to grind. Please do not listen to the user reviews that claim this grinder is slow at grinding. I believe I can get a cup’s worth of grinds in less than a minute or so and I didn’t have to turn on super saiyan mode to do it. Although of course, the finer your grind, the more time will be needed. What I found odd was that your hand that actually cranks the handle round and round does not get tired. Instead, the hand that you hold the grinder actually gets tired! This is because you’d have to grip the grinder pretty tight in order for it not to wobble when you turn the handle. To be exact, it’s your forearm that gets tired. So if you are right handed like me, then you would most likely hold the grinder with your left hand and it is your left forearm that would get tired. The fact that it has a cover helps a whole lot. I find it easier to slightly tilt the grinder while cranking away and the cover prevents the beans from flying out. While you can grind from a straight position and from a flat surface, I find that it’s much harder to do it this way.

– Switching between grind levels is extremely easy as you simply hold the center of the handle with your thumb and twist the nut at the bottom of the grinder either left or right. To grind fine, you’d turn it right. For a coarse grind, you’d go left. Once you find the right combination for your drip and espresso, you’d just have to remember how many “clicks” you’d have to go for each one starting from the tightest position (rightmost position). For example, I use three clicks for my espresso grind. For my french press, I use 9 clicks. All I have to remember is which position I last set the grinder to. If its espresso, then I’d obviously just twist it to the left for 6 clicks (3+6=9) for my french press. To go back to an espresso grind, I’d twist it to the right for 6 clicks (9-6=3). It’s that simple.

– The grind consistency you’d get from this grinder is very, very good. When it comes to espresso grinds, I am extremely pleased with this device. At 3 clicks, the grind is almost to a powder level and very fluffy in consistency. I can’t imagine how the grinds will look like at just 1 click! Since everyone treats their coffee beans differently, you’d obviously have to play around with the settings a bit to get what you’d want. If you want absolutely control over your grinds, this is perfect for you perfectionists out there.

– Due to its small form factor, you can bring this with you wherever you go and still be able to enjoy fresh coffee every morning! Also, the noise level is at an extreme minimum. You can safely grind coffee in the morning without your neighbors thinking world war III just started.

Cons:

– The only con I can think of is the clean up process. While it’s not extremely hard to do, it can be a hassle. The good news is that you can take this grinder completely apart. Each part is washable. For a good heads up video, simply search on Youtube for “Hario Mini Mill” and there is an awesome instructional video by Hario themselves showing you how to take apart as well as putting the unit back together piece by piece. The ceramic burr is a bit harder to clean because coffee grinds just cling to it, especially if you do a fine grind. Therefore, a simple “rinse” under the water isn’t going to help at all. You’d need to actually soak it in hot water with some mild detergent to remove it. All the other parts you can easily rinse with water to clean if you wish. Personally, I’m not diligent enough to take apart this grinder for a wash after each grind. I’d probably do it each week or so.

As you can see, the amount of pro’s clearly outweigh the con’s. As long as this device holds up and doesn’t break, I’d be a very happy guy. As long as you understand the audience this coffee grinder is meant for and if you find yourself fitting in that audience, you should come away satisfied as well.

Quick look notes:
+++Variable, wholly consistent grinds on par with automatic burr grinders 10x’s+ the cost
+++Ceramic burr grinders retain grind quality for a long time
+++Solid construction
+++Easy to operate
+++Lid prevents bean spillage
+++BPA-free plastic is durable, good for travel, and easy to clean

—Small capacity for both beans and fine (grounds)
—Instructions are mainly in Japanese
—Made in China (I realize this is a negative for some folks)
—Will lull you into the murky world of searching out the perfect (read: expensive) local roast

I don’t shun electricity or automated processes, no, but I do find a certain amount of joy in a bit of manual labor when it produces something I am passionate about. I am also a sucker for economical efficiency. The Hario Mini Mill fulfills both of these ideals with gusto. One can easily spend a few hundred to well over a thousand dollars on a quality automated burr grinder, but there must always nag the possibility of diminishing returns.

I see this product filling a niche market: The coffee connoisseur who wants to save a nice chunk of change, would like to be one step closer to intimacy with their brewing process, or would like a nice option for grinding on the go. Perhaps all three. The Mini Mill excels at all three.

Variable grinds are adjusted via a rotating nut beneath the grinder. This allows for the coarsest grinds (for all you french press lovers) to a fine grind (for the auto-drip and pour-over crowds) to the finest of grinds (for all the brave Turkish style brewers). Adjusting the nut provides a nice, audible click, and I suggest marking down or making a mental note of the number of clicks from fully closed the provides the grind of your liking. TIP: Seven clicks from closed provides a perfect fine grind for my pour-over needs, but experiment to your liking.

And boy what a grind! Consistency is key and the mill delivers on that front. The fine falls into the convenient plastic holder. The fine container holds about 24 grams of grounds, which Hario states is enough for two cups of joe. But note that those are two small cups, so for most this might be enough for one strong cuppa.

The hopper logically then holds about 24 grams of beans and no more if you want the lid to close. And you want that lid to close so as to avoid a loose bean from shooting out and beaming you in the eye whilst you grind. It’s a nice feature. The grinding itself is honestly a bit of a workout, but it is no more than I expected upon ordering. On average it takes me about two minutes of steady winding to grind 24g of beans, and I actually enjoy those two minutes. There’s a bit a fun to be found in the manual process. The lid is clear, so you can watch the beans fall into the jaws of madness, and there’s no question when it’s finished because the sound of ceramic gnawing on crunchy beans lets up and the handle swings smoothly. The handle itself is comfortable and well constructed, with a knob that is just large enough to keep a firm grasp on without feeling unwieldy. The handle is removable, so keep that in mind for storage, but it does attach firmly with substantial depth, so there are no worries of it flying off while you are grinding. Also, the manual aspect of the little beast doesn’t mean that it is also quite. It certainly removes the noisy whirring motors of its automated cousin, but it’s not exactly operating in whisper mode either. Still, I grind near a wall shared by the bedroom of my sleeping wife, and I’ve yet to hear any complaints. Frankly, I find the crunch satisfying. TIP: I’ve found that sitting on a chair with the holder wedged between my legs provided the maximum comfort/efficiency/leverage for me while I’m grind, but I occasionally simply hold it in my hands with fine results. I do not suggest planting the device on the counter while grinding, as this increases both the noise and seemingly the amount of effort.

The whole package is small enough to pack away for travel/camping use (perhaps accompanied with an aeropress or similar device), and the plastic holder means no shattering and would also work well to carry some beans. I have yet to travel with mine, but plan to in the coming month.

The drawbacks of the device are few, but should be mentioned. I knew the capacity of the “mini” mill when I purchased it, but I will say that I was still slightly disappointed in just how few beans/fine this thing held. I knocked off a star for this, as I really wish that they’d simply made a slightly larger plastic container for the fine (see EDIT below). As stated above, the 24g is right at what I would use for a normal single cup for myself, and as I am generally the only coffee drinker in the house, this serves my purposes perfectly. When my wife also wants a cup, I simply split the magical liquid product between two smaller cups. With larger parties my sole option is to grind more than once. But it has always become a conversation point, and I love to relegate the extra grinding duty to curious guests. For those that consistently need a larger batch of ground, they might look into the 

Hario Ceramic Coffee Mill Skerton

, which has a larger capacity.

Also note that the instructions are primarily in Japanese, though there are limited English notes for each section. The pamphlet also has useful illustrations, and I honestly had no trouble at all getting the thing up and running. Still, for those of us that like to read the instructions cover to cover, this might be a slight ding.

In the end, you will not find a better grind in this price range, and you’d be hard pressed to find a better one in a much higher price range. The quality of the design and build, as well as the consistency of the grind has made this one of my favorite purchases of the last few years. And since it’s purchase I’ve found myself crawling the city for the perfect local roaster. All that said, this might be most useful only to those who really take their brewing seriously.

I should also say that I’m hooked on Hario. Brand loyalty is something that I’d generally roll my eyes at, but the consistent craftsmanship and reliability of this Japanese company has led me to let them take part in nearly my entire ritual of coffee preparation. And coffee is liquid gold. In addition to this grinder, I use their 

Hario VKB-120HSV V60 Coffee Drip Kettle Buono

, a 

Hario VDC-02W Dripper V60 Size 02 White Ceramic Funnel

, and 

Hario Coffee White Paper Filters Size 02 for V60 Brewer, 100 Count

. Enjoy!

**Edit 9/10/13: I wanted to revisit this review and bump it up to five stars, as I see that the little grinder that can is on sale at the moment and I believe all coffee lovers should have one. I previously removed a star for the small amount of beans it processes at once, but I’ve since realized that this is illogical as its capacity is labeled here and heck, the name does have MINI in it. 10 months on, and this thing works like the first time. Better even, as I’ve developed my rhythm and wholly enjoy using it. And the size is perfect for my normal use. What are you waiting for?**

ハンドミルデビューとしては最適品かと。
分解洗浄も思ったより難しくはなかったです。
小さい部品の紛失だけ注意すれば良いです。
ミルの細かさももう少しで好みのポジションわかるようになりそうです。